Anti-bullying Task Force: Report and Plan

The Franklin School Committee aims to provide its students and staff with an educational setting that is safe, secure, and free from student harassment, also known as bullying. Indeed, the mission of the Franklin Public Schools is to “cultivate each student’s intellectual, social, emotional and physical potential through rigorous academic inquiry and informed problem solving skills within a safe, nurturing and respectful environment.”

The School Committee meeting scheduled for Oct 26th (full agenda not yet published) will include an update from the Anti-Bullying Task Force. The task force's full report is contained here:

Antibullying Task Force Report

The plan proposed by the Anti-Bullying Task Force is contained here:

Franklin Public Schools Bullying Plan


Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to review both documents.

Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Bully Task Force

Anti-Bullying Task Force

Recognition that the State is likely doing something in this arena.

Trahan - The Community Health Council has been working on this matter and I will be reporting later on some of the specific items

Rohrbach - I would second what Roberta mentioned about the Community Health Council's activities. I would recommend that they be part of this activity.

Peer mediation at the high school.

Cafasso - from my time on the committee, I recall a number of presentations from principals on various actions and initiatives taken. It is not a surprise, we should be prepared. We can only do what we can do. We need to engage the community, especially the parents. Modeling the appropriate behavior for their children. This starts at home.

Sabolinski - The middle school principals are out in front of this. There is a lot of interest in this.

Roy  we will get this started and get back to the committee by June 15th.

Another unfunded mandate coming down the pike?

The advocates are focusing their attention on a bill, sponsored by Representative John Rogers, a Democrat, that would require school districts to report bullying incidents and any discipline imposed to the state. The bill, one of those to be taken up at a hearing Tuesday, has the support of such groups as the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Microsoft Corp., and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

The Bold is for my emphasis. You can read the full article in the Boston Sunday Globe here.

To be clear, I do not support bullying. I do know what it feels like. I was called "four-eyes" and worse growing up. Once I learned to stand up for myself, the bullying stopped. Bullies pick on those who are perceived to be weaker than themselves. Once stood up to, they generally back off.

I do think with sufficient funding, the schools can provide some help in this area. In fact, I think they are already doing what they should. 

I do believe that the responsibility to address bullying falls squarely in the realm of the parents. The parents of those bullying need to create a better home environment (easier said than done). The parents of those being bullied need to help their students stand up for themselves (coddling them doesn't cut it).

I'll focus on the unfunded mandate part because that is what we should have some control over. 

Let's recognize that even if the schools were sufficiently funded to support this reporting effort, once the kids go home, what was learned and fostered in the school environment may not be reinforced at home hence wasting the effort.

What do you think?

I added a new poll in the top center column to help obtain your feedback on this issue.